Exodus

About Exodus

Exodus is a retro-inspired galaxy colonization strategy game from Artex Software, released December 1 2025 for PC and Linux. It reworks a 1990s title with fresh features and polish, blending base-building, diplomacy, and turn-based combat. You play as a group of rebels who hijack a starship to a new galaxy, fighting to establish human colonies amid hostile alien empires. The game offers single-player campaigns with customizable goals, difficulty, and victory conditions. It’s a deep strategy title for players who enjoy managing resources, planning military campaigns, and navigating political threats.

Gameplay

Each session starts with selecting a primary objective, like conquering a planet or achieving peace through diplomacy. Turn-based tactical battles require positioning squads of officers and units on hex grids, balancing firepower and terrain. Meanwhile, you manage planetary development: allocate workers to build farms, mines, and research labs, while recruiting officers to lead fleets. Espionage missions let you sabotage alien bases or steal tech. The game’s complexity grows as you unlock advanced weapons, negotiate treaties, and defend against invasions. Combat feels methodical but can drag in later stages. The lack of multiplayer keeps it focused on solo strategy.

What Players Think

Exodus has a 4.2/5 rating on PlayPile, with 68% of players completing the base campaign. Average playtime is 25.5 hours, and 74% of sessions are marked as “Determined” or “Curious,” though 12% label it “Overwhelmed.” Community reviews praise the depth of systems but note a steep learning curve. Critic scores average 82/100, highlighting “a masterclass in old-school strategy design but not for the faint of patience.” Over 1.2 million achievement points are earned globally, with the 350-achievement set tracking everything from military victories to scientific breakthroughs.

PlayPile's Take

Exodus is a must-play for strategy purists who relish slow-burn planning and resource management. At $39.99, it offers 25+ hours of content with optional difficulty spikes. While the UI feels dated and tutorials are sparse, the layered systems reward persistence. If you’ve enjoyed titles like Master of Orion or Stellaris but crave retro mechanics, this re-release is worth the investment. Skip it if you prefer fast-paced action or instant gratification.

Storyline

It is the year 3011. Civilization has failed, and Earth is just a barren wasteland. But a few bosses of once mighty corporations have built a starship to bring them to a new galaxy where habitable planets were discovered. A group of homeless rebels gains access to the secret codes, steals the ship, and travels to the new galaxy. Without much knowledge or resources, they have to start new, claim a new planet for mankind, and begin to build a galactic empire, while other inhabitants of the new galaxy will try to achieve the same.